It's going to be a "berry" good week

This week one of my "new" foods is the addition of fresh raspberries and blackberries. I normally buy blueberries and strawberries. But, I decided I wanted a whole mix of berries so purchased them (even though it was quite the splurge based on the price they were.)

I'm happy to say the extra spend was well worth it and my children have a new found love for berries.

I also decided to try another recipe from the Weight Watchers Just 5 Cookbook for a very late brunch.It wouldn't have been so late but I forgot to thaw the phyllo dough, so had to wait for it. I was fearful that this one would be more complicated but decided I'd tackle it anyway.  (For as many kudos as I'm giving this cookbook, let me just say I am in no way being paid or affiliated with Weight Watchers. I'm just a member and a huge fan of these recipes.) 

I've never worked with phyllo before and was a bit worried it would be difficult or I would somehow mess it up, but I'm happy to report it behaved and I was able to create nearly a picture perfect strudel!

The ingredients were simple:
eggs
broccoli
olive oil
phyllo dough
jarisberg cheese (now a new favorite!)

I did end up putting sugar on the kids' berries and I put splenda on mine. We found them to be just a wee too tart for our tastes. Perhaps as time goes on, we can eat them right out of the package but for now, a little sweet is better than no berries at all - so we compromised.

The result of my efforts was a beautiful brunch with my family around the table on a Sunday afternoon. I even brought out the "special" coffee so the hubby and I could sip on Starbucks Sumatra while enjoying the meal.

Weight Watchers PointsPlus Just 5 Cookbook - One Word - YUM!

Today I prepared meals for the week. It's so exciting to try new recipes and I always enjoy adapting them to my own tastes.

I used the Weight Watchers PointsPlus Just Five cookbook which I picked up at my meeting a few weeks ago. We tried a couple of the recipes last week which were fantastic.

I changed just a few things. I believe these recipes would be fantastic as they are written, but the slight adaptations I made suited the tastes of my family but didn't change the nutritional value of the recipes by much.

I'm just glad my children (ages 9, 4 and 2) will eat nearly anything. I can say there were no complaints at the table this evening.

 If you are following the Weight Watchers PointsPlus program, I highly recommend getting this cookbook. The meals are easy to make and come together very quickly. I am far from a trained chef, but honestly I felt like one as I was cooking tonight. 

 Seafood Salad with Lemon and Orzo - 6 pointsplus values per serving

Ingredients for Seafood Salad with Lemon and Orzo

This was the first thing I prepared this evening. I think it will be great to pack in lunch this week.

Five ingredients:
whole wheat orzo pasta
olive oil
frozen seafood medley
red onion
lemon

Shrimp in Steamer with Bay Leaves

Unfortunately, I could not find whole wheat orzo pasta in my store, so I settled for regular orzo. I added celery and cucumber which I think were really nice additions. I also don't care for calamari or mussels so just used shrimp for this salad.  I steamed my shrimp, rather than boiled and added bay leaves for flavor. After it was all mixed together, I added a bit of dill weed.

Lunch!

The finished product smells and tastes so fresh and crisp. I really can't wait to have this for lunch tomorrow and the next day. Because it's seafood, that is the longest I'll trust that it's still fresh enough to eat, but with four other people in my house I have no fear that it will all be consumed. This is definitely a new favorite! This recipe alone make the purchase of the new book worth every penny.


Rigatoni with Spicy Sausage and Beans - 8 pointsplus values per serving

Ingredients for Rigatoni with Spicy Sausage and Beans

I have class with a final exam tomorrow evening. I know I won't have time to cook before I leave the house for class and any minutes I have to spare I want to spend hitting the books. I also didn't want to wait until after the test to have dinner. So I prepared tomorrow night's meal, tonight. I knew I wanted something with pasta as it warms up well.

My kids also love pasta, so that's just a little added bonus. 

Yum!

Five ingredients:
whole wheat rigatoni
spicy Italian sausages
kale
chicken broth
red beans

I substituted organic chicken sausage for regular Italian sausage as it is what we really prefer. I only added garlic and the left over red onion I had from preparing the seafood salad. Both were nice additions. This dish is so pretty and the flavor of the kale is really complimentary to the spiced sausage. I know they are going to love this one tomorrow! I sprinkled just a few red pepper flakes on top and I think we will probably have a few sprinkles of fresh Parmesan cheese to finish it off.






Scallop-Broccoli Stir-Fry - 5 pointsplus values per serving

Ingredients for Scallop-Broccoli Stir-Fry

I ventured into the unknown. I cooked with ginger, which is not something I normally cook with nor order in restaurants.

Five ingredients:
canola oil
sea scallops
broccoli
ginger
reduced sodium soy sauce

So good!

I only added four more ingredients. Garlic was a must! I'm a garlic lover though. I also squeezed the juice from 1/2 a lemon. Close to the end of the recipe I added a can of water chestnuts which were a fantastic addition. We served this over Steamfresh Brown Rice (additional PointsPlus values), which is so easy to prepare (microwave for 4 1/2 minutes) and it was so good!  I was so pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed the ginger! It wasn't overpowering and this recipe would not have been as good without it.

It was a hit!

We will make this one again, for sure. It was also very pretty on the plate, which makes you feel like you've made something that would compete with something out of Chef Ramsey's kitchen ( no matter how delusional the thought LOL).

I'm also happy to report that during all this cooking and picture taking I did not get my phone wet in the process. 


Have you tried any new recipes or any new cookbooks? If so, share what you've liked recently.

Food Fridays - Potato and Canadian Bacon Slow Cooker Chowder

This recipe is from the Weight Watchers site and linked below.
 Course: soups
POINTS® Value:    3
Servings:  6
Preparation Time:  25 min
Cooking Time:  360 min
Level of Difficulty:  Easy
Works with Simply Filling

This rich, chunky chowder is extremely satisfying. Lean Canadian bacon gives it great flavor without much fat.

Ingredients

	2 cup(s) potato(es), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
	1 large carrot(s), diced
	1 cup(s) leek(s), chopped, white part only
	1 medium garlic clove(s), minced
	4 cup(s) fat-free chicken broth
	1/2 cup(s) uncooked barley
	1 piece(s) bay leaf
	1/4 tsp dried thyme, crushed
	1/4 tsp black pepper
	4 oz Canadian-style bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
	1/2 cup(s) fat-free evaporated milk
	2 oz fat-free half-and-half

Instructions

• In a slow cooker, combine potatoes, carrots, leek, garlic, broth, barley, bay leaf, thyme, pepper and bacon; cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
  
• Stir in evaporated milk and half-and-half; heat through, uncovered, about 10 minutes. Yields about 1 2/3 cups per serving.

Click here to view recipe at weightwatchers.com, read reviews or learn more about the program.

This potato soup was one of the best I've ever had.  It was so easy to make, extremely filling and had a VERY low points value considering the quantity.

While it's not really fall-like where I live, this would be perfect on a cool fall day!  Enjoy!